


We Aren't...

by xHalfPrincex



Category: Great Pretender (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Case 4 Spoilers, Character Death, Edamura Makoto Needs A Hug, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Trauma, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, I wanna hug my baby boi, Makoto Deserved Better, Makoto has Emotional Baggage, Makoto is Tired, My version of Case 4, Read at your own discretion, You Have Been Warned, how case 4 should ended for me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:27:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xHalfPrincex/pseuds/xHalfPrincex
Summary: Case 4, the day it all ends, and Makoto's new beginning.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 193





	We Aren't...

**Author's Note:**

> I would not have been mad at Makoto if he did this in the anime.

_ One mistake and you're gone.  _

When Makoto heard of Cynthia and Abbie, he wanted to feel a sense of relief on hearing of their safety, but a part of him saw it coming; after all, Laurent and Abbie had faked their deaths back in LA. He wanted to smile, even only a little, but he remembered the words Cynthia spoke to him back then, the same words Abbie said to him in LA. It was only then that Makoto remembered, Laurant had never once said those to him. He never questioned it, nor did he ever voice that thought, but he always wondered. 

When Ozaki Seiji had told him the story behind the con, all Makoto could do was sit in silence. Every now and then, lighting up a cigarette to keep his hands from punching the man again. Throughout Ozaki Seiji's story, Makoto found himself wanting to scream and cry in frustration. To tell the man in front of him that Dorothy had nothing to do with Makoto's mother and him. He wanted to declare to the older male that he made his choice long ago; it included Dorothy, Team Confidence, and the name Oz. Never was Makoto and Ozaki Miki in the mix.

Who the hell did Dorothy think she was to destroy a family? All because of a stupid con. Who was she to come into his family life and destroy his future? If she was the one who created the rules of their merry-band of misfits, why didn't she live by them? She was the first to break them. Because of her, Laurent was once again led down the path of vengeance. Shi-won was tasked with taking care of the blond bastard. And Oz was pulled away from the family he supposedly loved and cared for. So when he was told to do this con for Dorothy, it made something in him snap. Oz the Wizard didn't say it out loud, but it was in the tone of his voice and the way he told the story.  _ Do it for Dorothy? _ Why should he care about someone he never knew? Why should he finish something he wanted nothing to do with? He wanted none of it. 

In the end, blood didn't mean shit for Oz the Wizard. However, when Oz had told Makoto's mother about the con and told her never to say a word to him, Makoto just didn't know who to trust anymore. 

"Everything Laurent had me do until now was a practice run for this, wasn't it?"

He didn't know what answer he was expecting, but Makoto wasn't shocked when he heard a mumbled yes come out of Oz's mouth. Hearing the door closing behind the older male, Makoto chuckled a little and got up to watch the man out his window. He made up his mind then and there, he'll play their game.

_ We're not partners. _

\----

After hearing about Dorothy, Makoto couldn't help but want to learn more about her. He looked up information about her past cons, the people that she targeted, and those she helped. It wasn't as difficult as he expected it to be; all he had to do was look for the money and where it led. Shell companies, the names of female CEOs that seemed to vanish from the face of the Earth, the illegal activities of others, and the not so legal from the original Team Confidence, all the information was there, Makoto just had to find it. So he used the connections he had developed while working under Suzaku Akemi to locate anything related to Dorothy. He became obsessed with the woman who made Laurent drag him into every one of his cons. The woman whose death led to his mother's health to deteriorate. Dorothy, who made everyone lie to him and use him for their own whims. Makoto didn't care what sort of data he obtained; he just needed to know about her.  ** The con artist that made him go through hell. **

When he got the information he wanted, Makoto was shocked at the last picture he was shown. He wanted to laugh then and there staring at the image of a dark-skinned woman with short silver-hair standing beside her "parents" at a local fish market in a small island near Taiwan. There she stood, laughing, smiling, and  ** alive ** , while everyone was too busy trying to avenge her death. The man who presented this information to him explained that the women went by the name of Xiangxiang with a case of amnesia, was taken in by an elderly couple years back. The picture in his hand was beginning to get wrinkled; there she was, a woman who dared to destroy the life he wanted now stared at him, mocking him. She took everything from him; what gives her the right to forget all about it? 

_ Have a forgiving heart. _

There was no such thing as forgiveness to Makoto anymore. 

\----

_ Forgive yourself. _

Those final words that Abbie said struck a chord in him. He would forgive himself, but he would never forgive the others who dragged him into their mess. Makoto would never forgive those who lied to him. He didn't need anyone like that in his life ever again. 

\---

_ Always be lawful. _

Arriving at the fake office, he sent a message to the scout overlooking the helicopter landing to announce the Chairwoman's arrival to Cynthia and the others. Another text message was sent soon after to Eddie Cassano telling him to get in place with his men a few seconds after Team Confidence had left the building, and to do it as quickly and quietly as possible so as not to arouse suspicion. As well as to have some men to take over the helicopter pad and take down any unnecessary baggage. 

There was no going back for Makoto. 

Passing the unplanned cat statues, he turned on his heel to begin closing the doors. His mind was elsewhere when he saw several heads and a middle finger poking out of a side room. There was a moment of calm in Makoto when he saw them. A moment that remembered all the memories they had together, and so he did the most logical and childish action he could think of at that moment, he gave them the bird. 

After closing the door, he tightened the tie that was gifted to him by Suzaku Akemi. His mind went back to the same evening of both him and Ishigami drinking at an izakaya. The way the older man believed the Chairwoman saw him as a son, Makoto could see it, and it scared him. However, he thought that it wouldn't be so bad to follow Suzaku Akemi, the first person since Ozaki Seiji was arrested and his mother died to see him as a human, to treat him as a person, and the first he broke down in front of. Makoto wouldn't regret anything that was going to happen today. He would protect Suzaku Akemi, even if it cost him his life, his reputation, and his pathetic pride. 

Waiting for the smug blond  _ Belgian _ in the hallway was nerve-wracking; he wanted to end everything as he walked out from the elevator, but he held himself back from doing so. He watched as the others began to pat down Laurent and the others, taking anything that may account as weapons while he looked over the briefcase, filled with the money of the branch company. He nodded to himself in confirmation as he closed the silver case once again before handing it over to Chen Yao. 

Walking into the fake office building, Makoto immediately made his way toward Suzaku's right. His gaze met with Laurent's smug look before putting his attention to the leader of the Shanghai mafia. The man walked forward, fumbling with the ring Makoto saw him come in with. The interpreter's eyes narrowed in suspicion and consciously twitched his hand, a warning to the Chairwoman who sat beside him. The young Japanese male knew a trick when he saw one. When he saw the Chinese outstretch his hand, his fingers were obscuring the gold ring band from Suzaku's view, but it wouldn't matter; she wouldn't take the hand of someone who deceived her. Then again, Makoto also deceived her, but he wanted to make it up to her by giving her back the company that she created. 

As the two sides shared their side of the bargain, the case filled with money and the check of one billion, they stood in silence as they took into account what was happening. The two leaders each turned to their respected interpreters, Makoto with his downcast expression, and Laurant with a smirk full of glee. The two con artists stared at each other, both knowing full well what was happening. Laurent already looked like he was ready to party the night away from the big haul they just received, and Makoto just wanted to punch the smirk off his face. 

It was then that the "police" entered at full force into the office building, and as Makoto guessed, none of them looked into the hallway doors. Makoto recognized the short stature of the commanding officer to be Kudo. The man seemed to wave his brief moment of authority with pleasure as he stood there with a fake warrant that was made days ago. He ordered them to put their hands behind their head, the same process an actual raid would go in Japan. The older man immediately went for the check and briefcase, not even acting as if he was going to check around the office. He recognized the petite form of Abbie as she returned to the back of the police force with the silver case in hand. 

Makoto watched as Liu looked back to Laurent, with an expression filled with victory that Makoto couldn't wait to wipe off. All the confident stances of the police behind him as well. For all Makoto knew, they all knew of Dorothy and gladly dragged the young man into a game they thought was an easy win. When Laurent called him out, Makoto stood there with a blank expression, without looking, he could feel the look of betrayal coming from the Chairwoman and Ishigami. He looked down and didn't even comment when Laurent used the ring on Liu. Makoto looked dead-eyed as he watched the Shanghai leader flailing about, asking for help; that moment of shock that came from the others gave Makoto his own opening. Hearing Kudo stumble over his words and reaching for Suzaku Akemi, Makoto felt his body move; he reached out to the chair and pressed the hidden button they all knew was there to unsheath the sword that had been sharpened for this day. 

The look of shock from Kudo didn't faze him as he vowed to protect the Chairwoman. He ushered her under the desk as bullets flew throughout the room. As it came to an end, he watched as his former team was pushed to their knees by Cassano's men. The feeling of dread was mixed into the air as he called out the bluff of guns the fake police had. 

Laurent was the first to speak up, demanding answers from Makoto when Cassano's laughter broke through the brief silence. The realization that this attack was planned by Makoto had the blond bastard and Oz turn to look at him as he stood in silence. The questions they asked him went in one ear and out the other, only answering when Suzaku questioned him. The gaze that all the con artists gave him was enough to know that he had won, he had finally beaten the Belgian at his own game. He didn't even care about the concerned look he received from Cynthia, the disappointment from Shi-won, the annoyance of Abbie, and the betrayal of Oz.

Makoto called them out for calling themselves lone wolves, in his mind seeing them as nothing but a pack who only cared about the wellbeing of Laurent and Dorothy. He asked Ishigami to get the check and briefcase back for the Chairwoman, waiting for him to set it down on the desk. The young male leaned on the desk as he spoke to his boss, sword pointing down to the floor. The pride that Suzaku Akemi had for him was something Makoto never wanted to lose. She didn't look at him as a boss to an employee anymore; she looked at him as a mother would to a son when he did something well. 

It was his biological father who had called him back down from cloud nine. The gaze of annoyance he gave the man was clearly written on his face. Their eyes met as Ozaki Seiji tried to diffuse the situation, as he tried to get his son to drop the act that he was doing. Makoto thought that he was done acting, that he was done playing as a naive child that did what others told him to do, and that started with his father. However, he wouldn't act until he showed them what he found.  _ Who _ he found. He would make them realize that everything leading up to this con was for nothing. They were avenging a ghost, a ghost who still walked the Earth. 

For the final time in his life, Makoto raised his voice at his father. Yelled at him to stop meddling in his life, to remind him who was the one who took care of Ozaki Miki until her final moments. Who was the one who asked his mother to lie to him, to not say a word to him while he believed in something that wasn't true until the day Oz the Wizard told him about the story of Laurent. All the while, the blond-haired male looked down in silence. 

"Mom lies alone in her grave while everyone avenges Dorothy!" he yelled, "Why should I be one of them? Huh?!" 

Makoto lowered the sword, only a bit. He called them out for the use of a slogan only when convenient, only when they knew their life was going to end or when they were goofing around, sacrificing time, money, lies, and even their family for the sake of a con to go their way. 

"I'll show you how pathetic this plan was from the start."

He turned around and placed the sword beside the chair, and grabbing hold of the tablet Ishigami always carried with him. The tablet he stored information about Dorothy when coming to the island. He opened the gallery folder with images of the dark-skinned con artist. He clicked on one of the pictures showing it to the international con artists who had still yet to say a word. He could hear Chen Yao let out a sound of recognition. 

"Chen, was this the  _ Ethiopian Princess _ of that time in China? The con artist that fooled you all to partake in buying her for millions?" He didn't have to hear the man say anything as he looked down in shame. Because of their lack of background checks, the Shanghai mafia was going to ruin everything Suzaku Akemi had built since the death of her husband. They would get what was coming to them now that the company was back in her hands.

"Suzaku-sama, this was the reason why they were going to take everything from you. Your company, your money, but most importantly, your dignity and pride," he said as he showed the Chairwoman the image of Dorothy with long hair. "This con artist was able to trick millions from the Shanghai mafia more than ten years ago. However, she and the others were about to be caught after the real Ethiopian princess showed her face. Liu had the women killed and left to sink in the East China Sea. The con artist you see before you are apparently trying to avenge her death."

The Chairwomen stood in silence as she looked from Makoto to the others behind him and back to him. The expression she saw on the young man was full of hurt and exhaustion. It was a look that Suzaku Akemi knew all too well; it was the same look Akemi saw in the mirror. The same look her biological son had every day he would come into work at the office. Her face hardened at the sight of Makoto, the boy she had come to know as one of her own. The young man she had come to see as another son, and she knew what she had to do. She looked over to the ones who used the boy as he told her the story behind the plot, and his past filled with cons he was dragged into all for the sake of this one. She looked at each and every one of them before speaking up, telling Makoto to translate when she was done.

"You are all lowlife trash that seem to enjoy deceiving others. You talk as if you will never see each other again and act as if you are nothing to each other when it counts. No wonder Makoto has become who he is today. It seems to me that you con artists call yourselves tragic heroes only when it amounts to you getting hurt or offended. However, when it comes to doing the same to others, you don't see it like that. You are narcissists who live only to save your own skin."

As Makoto finished translating for the woman before him, he was met with silence. He allowed that silence to sit in the air before he dropped the bomb. 

"Suzaku-sama, this image was taken a few days ago near an island in Taiwan," he said as he swiped to the last image in the gallery. He watched as her eyes narrowed at the picture of Dorothy, and he let it sink before turning to Chen to see for himself. The Chinese man's eyes widened, his nose flared in anger, and his gaze met Makoto's. An unsaid agreement with the two of them was had before Makoto turned to show the group of con artists Dorothy's living form. Expressions of shock and surprise were written on their faces. Laurent's eyes widened as he saw the familiar face of the love of his life. There it was, Makoto did it. He beat Laurent Thierry.

"Meet Dorothy, better known as Xiangxiang, an amnesiac woman who was taken in by an elderly couple near an island in Taiwan." 

"Makoto, I leave the clean up to you, correct?" The young Japanese male nodded as he watched his boss leave the room to the elevator with Ishigami following close behind with the check and briefcase in hand. "We will be waiting for you in the helicopter when you are done. Take care of Liu and his unruly mutt as well."

"Cassano currently has a hitman with his eyes on her and her family. The moment her memories return is the moment she dies. For you, this will be the last time that you will see her." This statement was their death sentence. 

"Apologize to Dorthy when you see her on the other side. Tell her, 'sorry it was such a lame-ass plan.' Then take Dorothy with you and beg for mom's forgiveness." His voice was cold and hard as he spoke to the group. He walked over to Cassano, instructing him that once the deal had been finished, the money would be wired over to Sam's account. 

_ We're not friends or family.  _

So as the former con artist walked into the hallway, he ignored the cries for his name, the bullets as they made contact with human flesh, and the sounds of bodies hitting the floor. He didn't care anymore. 

Revenge was always best when served cold, even when it left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

_ Whoever is the last one standing; is the one who succeeds.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Don't get me wrong, Dorothy is a nice character, but why should Makoto have to be dragged into this life because of her death?


End file.
